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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953002">A Moment Becomes Eternity</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterfliesTyphoon/pseuds/ButterfliesTyphoon'>ButterfliesTyphoon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan, 進撃の巨人 | Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Universe, Canon-Typical Violence, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Not Beta Read, Reader-Insert, Reincarnation, Religious Imagery &amp; Symbolism, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Strong Female Characters, Underground Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Unrequited Love, Witchcraft, as always, kind of, reader is a badass</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 01:40:29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,085</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24953002</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButterfliesTyphoon/pseuds/ButterfliesTyphoon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There's worse out there than what is simply beyond those walls, you see it every time you close your eyes - it's forever imprinted against your brain.<br/>Levi's got his eyes fixed ahead of him. </p><p>You have to wonder if he ever sees you lagging behind, on the precipice of being swallowed up by something, which to him, doesn't exist.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Levi &amp; Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) &amp; Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. One.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He'd possessed only a meagre fives years of life to his name when their paths crossed. An apple, freshly plucked and balanced between her forefinger and thumb had been more than enough to entice him forward. Fingers much too gnarled and calloused at his age reached tentatively and grasped tightly in disbelief when the fruit was passed over, not with restraint - but instead a smile. He thought he would forevermore remember that smile, and the mysterious, yet inviting youthful lady whom it belonged to. </p><p>Eyes too bright and cheeks too full, she should have been a myth to the impoverished state of the Underground. But her feathering touch had left his dusted, ashen skin tingling and even his mother had marvelled happily for him at the apple he bounded innocently home with. </p><p>Levi never saw you again.</p><p>Or more like, he never found the desire to seek you out.</p><p>Of course, he picked up on scattered rumours. </p><p>Isabel would forever gush over the porcelain-like woman whom had abruptly appeared to wipe away her tears after a particularly bad mishap, awe-stricken by the black feline which soothed with rumbling purrs and wove repeatedly in comfort between her trembling legs. Furlan had initially chuckled in a dismissive manner at the younger girls obsessive dedication, but Levi even saw a change in him when he'd one random evening stumbled through the door with the pungent smell of medicinal salves clinging to his marred, yet wrapped skin. He'd gotten himself into a fight no doubt, that didn't surprise Levi. What had him confused was the fact that they were completely broke and yet somehow Furlan had been treated out of the kindness of someone's heart.</p><p>That didn't sit right with him. After all, the Underground didn't just spit out generous, living souls. If anything it did the complete oppsite. It took impressionable kids and it required of them to grow thickened skin, it twisted and warped the minds of every adult...and every beating heart within this confined hell? It left them rotten black, charred and crumbling pathetically at the edges because the Underground was no place for the weak. </p><p>So yeah, Levi never saw you again, but he wasn't all that hung up over it in all honesty. It was to be expected that he'd simply assumed the greediness of others had snatched you up and left you ruthlessly for dead. Levi never allowed himself to get his hopes up when it came to the woman who seemed to knowingly or not touch several connecting fragments of his life, so it's also understandable that he never really felt the pull of anticipating stumbling across you once more. </p><p>Until now that is.</p><p>The cadet who stands before him has flushed cheeks, a suppressed smile and and an airy look about them. The standard uniform jacket hangs off of their shoulders like they're much too small instead of the fabric in particular being much too large, and the boots which stretch high up their legs seem to dominate their frame whole. Levi would almost find it endearing, <i>almost<i>, that is if it weren't for the guilty way they kicked at the hay beneath their feet and awkwardly wrung their fingers together.</i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>There was neither a salute nor fixed stance in sight, and surprisingly it didn't leave him as mad as what it would have done if it were any other cadet in question. Especially Jaeger, god that kid was asking for it from time to time, Levi would swear upon it.</p><p>You're new to these areas, Levi already knows. There isn't that haunted look of fear and defeated resignation upon your features yet which is every other Scouts default expression. You rock uneasily on the balls of your feet whilst training your eyes everywhere else except for the superior stood directly before you, the chirping of crickets partially drowned out by the soft grunts of the horses sleepiness. You too, would have very much liked to have been asleep, anywhere but here because apparently luck always seemed to run it's course just the slightest bit shorter when it came to working in your favour. </p><p>The stand off is a heavy one. Many unspoken words locked in constricting throats and tightly wrung chords. Levi's eyes seem to sear every inch of exposed skin he can visually track, slowly scanning from the barely peeking ends of your fingertips to the smooth panel of your bared throat, which your collar hangs loosely beneath, to the apples of your cheeks. </p><p>"It's past dark. What are you doing out here?" </p><p>"Levi, I see you've met our newest transferee." </p><p>Levi snaps around to look at his Commander as well as the other two squadron leader who flank him, but weirdly enough only when his attention isn't on you is when yours is on him. He can feel himself automatically grind his teeth at that revelation, the smallest shred of irritation having to be squashed because now wasn't the time. </p><p>"Transferee?"</p><p>Hange circles you, hips brushing closely before she's leaning in to purpsely invade your space and snatch your undivided attention. It does not work. Even face to face, your gaze evades her own to remain locked upon Levi's side profile as he awaits a reply from the tall blonde. He nods.</p><p>"Prior Military Police Brigade soldier. She answered directly to Commander Dok, he didn't specify as to why she was changing sectors when he filed the papers. All I know is that he wanted her out of the way as soon as." </p><p>Levi's sharp eyes slide back to you and you look to Hange who finally relaxed her intimidating posture. She startles under the sudden shift. </p><p>"A troublemaker then?" He arches a brow.</p><p>"Most likely," Erwin confirms. </p><p>"I escorted you to the living quarters over an hour ago," Hange's sigh is one of exasperation, a tired deflate of her shoulders comically making her entire form appear that much smaller. "You're supposed to stay there when lights out is called."</p><p>"You think he sent her to break her in? She's surely got spirit, what with all that disobedience and all?" </p><p>Mike stalks forward to stare you down with a twitching nose. </p><p>"What brings you here cadet? In the dead of the night no less?" </p><p>Craning your neck to look at the taller Scout, your pursed lips and furrowed brows are not the image which he expects to be met with. You shrug carelessly, almost as if savagely yanked back down to Earth and suffering major whiplash of the actions which you had no recollection of ever making. </p><p>"A young girl...I heard her cry?"</p><p>Hange frowns, the silence of the night suddenly more present as even the horses ceased their complaints. </p><p>"There's no one else out here?" </p><p>You grimace. "But I saw her? She was upset because of her pigtails!"</p><p>There's a sharp inhale and as it hits your ears you swear you feel a freezing gust of wind slice straight to your bones despite the warm night. You shudder as if dunked into chilling water. </p><p>"I'm sorry," all four superiors pick up on the way you mumble your words at the back of your throat, face scrunched in confusion. "I must have made a mistake. I can assure you it won't happen again." </p><p>"It's your first time here so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. If this becomes a recurring offence however there will understandably be consequences. Do I make myself clear?" </p><p>You jolt at the kindness Erwin offers you, so foreign to the idea of it that for a passing moment you're able to do nothing but stall. </p><p>"Yessir. Thank you," one hand tucks itself behind your back and the other is placed in a fist atop of your beating heart. </p><p>"Hange, could I request you escort her back to the cadets living quarters?" </p><p>Your salute drops limp and Hange uses that as her chance to take your arm into her hold, smiling softly before wordlessly whisking you away only after Erwin and Mike both take their leave. </p><p>All alone does Levi stand inside the stables, staring hard at your retreating back as Hange turns the corner first. You falter briefly, looking over your shoulder and smiling fondly at Levi who tenses at the gesture.</p><p>"I'm glad to see you're doing well Levi." </p><p>Hearing you speak those words into existence leaves him stunned, breath uncomfortably trapped in his lungs as his chest stuttered in its rise and fall. Hange distantly calls for you and the last thing he catches from you that night is the pitiful look which plagued your face, lips downturned and neck strained in hopes of him saying something, <i>anything<i>, in return before Hange grappled for your hand and pulled you away.</i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>He remained silent, drowning in the depths of his own mind.</p><p>What did this mean?</p><p>You're regarded with caution as Hange watches you pull open the door to your shared living quarters, the other two girls already fast asleep as you catch the way the flame in Hange's oil lamp flickers against the shadowed wall. </p><p>"Say...Captain Hange, are you afraid of the dark?"</p><p>She balks at the sudden, obscure question. So much so that she fumbles to solidify her grasp on the handle of the burning lamp. </p><p>"There's worse things out there cadet. You'll meet them soon enough and suddenly all your previous nightmares won't seem as bad." </p><p>Once more, you shrug, the door slowly closing behind you and muffling what Hange barely picks up on.</p><p>"They don't scare me. I'm more afraid of what goes bump in the night." </p><p>It swings to a close and Hange shouldn't feel the weight of that revelation as much as what she does, the tremor in your voice seeping through her skin and rooting deep into her veins. She's seen first hand the wreckage and carnage those beasts beyond the walls evoke, and yet for some reason, Hange can't bring herself to doubt what you say. </p><p>The look you flashed her before disappering was the exact same expression which had overtook Levi when that sharp inhale was heard and not addressed back in the stables. </p><p>It leaves Hange with more questions than what she had originally started with when your presence was made abruptly within the Survey Corps. </p><p>Just like Levi, she could only question - what did this mean?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading! </p><p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Two.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The crash can be heard across the courtyard. It slices across congregating Scouts and pulls wavering eyes inwards, hushed murmurs of interest ceased to make way for the following shatter which pierces more shrill through the air. It leaves a handful wincing, softly grimacing before finally the familiar sound of a door swinging open is heard and all of a sudden a frantic frame is swerving onto the scene.</p><p>She tugs clumsily at a barely tightened belt, breathless and yet grinning for a reason unknown, until the man who was in pursuit of her, roughly rounded the tight corner. Even then, the appearance of Levi leaves most more stunned and confused than ever before, slack jawed and gaping as he frowned with fingertips only just grazing the fluttering ends of her jacket.</p><p>"Corporal?" Petra rears her head in debelief, merely unable to do anything more than watch as he breezes past her, a flash of ice against a heated day. </p><p>"Watch the kid. I've got to put this damn troublemaker in her place." </p><p>He looks away for a second, and by the time he turns his head once more to track her movement again he's mildly impressed to find a lack of presence up ahead. The Lance Corporal toes along the forest's lining, the soft whispers of an inviting chuckle carried along the warm winds. To walk along the foliage and hear it crunch, it doesn't get to him like it had done the first time he'd walked this exact same path all those years ago when Erwin knowingly or not saved him from the grips of the Underground. </p><p>The sun shines shyly through the slats of the canopies, scattering the ground with prisms of light that every now and then Levi obliviously catches himself in. And every instance has you that much more enthralled, leaning further, and further forward away from your perch to shamelessly admire the man stood beneath you.</p><p>"First you break curfew and now you're breaking mirrors," Levi cocks his head upwards, smirking at the flushed state he unabashedly catches you in. "You looking to make a bad rep out here cadet?"</p><p>Wordlessly, you scale further down the tree, perched prettily atop of a lower branch - at a height where Levi could have easily touched you if he simply stretched his arm out. Like a child, your legs hook over the rest, hung upside down whilst staring widely. You shake your head.</p><p>"No sir."</p><p>Iron fingers dig into your scalp, twisting your head to directly gaze Levi in the eye and bare your throat to him. </p><p>"Then what the hell are you playing at?"</p><p>"I wanted your attention." </p><p>Levi clams up immediately, at odds with your pretty smile that to him feels so foreign but at the same time strikes as something he's seen a million times over in the past. It touches your eyes, reducing them to mere crescents as you have the audacity to press lovingly into his touch despite the frosted clutch. He narrows his eyes sceptically.</p><p>"Why?" </p><p>You'd purr if you could, reaching down to twist your arm and strategically cup his jaw, a sated expression of giddiness alighting your features.</p><p>"Because I've finally found you!" </p><p>It's easy to physically watch the way Levi desperately attempts to put up a front and reject the impact that confession has over him. His hand slips from your head, pulling savagely away from your touch with a harsh scoff. </p><p>"Ridiculous. This the second time you've acted out, so don't act surprised when I tell you there's going to be consequences for your insubordination." </p><p>You clamber upright, perched along the edge and efficiently towering over the Lance Corporal so he's no choice but to crane his head back in hopes of taking your image in. Shrugging, your careless behaviour leaves him feeling riled. </p><p>"Whatever punishment you throw my way," you pause to cheekily swipe your tongue along your lower lip. "I can handle it." </p><p>Levi arches a brow in dry amusement. "Oh yeah? Let's see how well you do in the stables then." </p><p>You snicker as you drop, landing easily before straightening back out at the knees and arguably sizing Levi up before he's looping a finger around your loose belt and using it to lead you out of the forest. </p><p>"A little bit of cleaning duty isn't going to do anything." </p><p>"Who said anything about cleaning duty?" </p><p>Your head jerks in confusion. "Then?" </p><p>"A new gelding has just been brought in which isn't exactly rider-friendly." </p><p>"And?" Your chin rises haughtily. "What do you expect me to do about that?"</p><p>Levi releases you only then, as a result making you take in the surroundings of the stables he had somehow brought you to without your realisation. </p><p>"Erwin wants him tamed before the next upcoming expedition. Get to it." </p><p>All of a sudden your cool composure is crumbling, spinning on the heels of your feet to pin Levi with an unimpressed glare.</p><p>"That's impossible! You're asking of too much in such a little amount of time. Besides, this isn't what I came here to do Levi!" </p><p>The crack to your cheek snaps your head to the side, hung low as a blossoming sting flared hotly across the cheekbone. Your lower lip is pinched tightly between your teeth in a horrid attempt to stop its trembling and the only thing which remains in focus are the leather bindings which wrap snugly around his thighs. </p><p>He'd struck you.</p><p>Why?</p><p>Was he not happy to see you? You'd waited so long to find him again? There's a beginning flicker of a flame which leaves you mortified and at a loss for what to say or do. This feeling, freshly alighting itself within your stomach...you're not supposed to feel. And yet, there's a bitter taste plaguing your mouth and rage drugs your veins to leave you simmering.</p><p>Levi...had hit you? And you...were mad? </p><p>His finger hooked beneath your chin to raise your head is in dizzying contrast to his actions scant seconds before and although that may be so, he does not look to have regretted what he chose to do. </p><p>"Why exactly are you here then cadet? Is saving humanity a side task to you? Are there more important things out there?" </p><p>Surging forward out of the blue leaves the Lance Corporal momentarily stumbling to snatch back his balance. It's a futile effort however, as you lean even further into his space and knock his touch from your skin before latching a leg around his ankle and yanking. You push in the oppsite direction to where you pull, effectively sending him spiralling in a heated tussle. </p><p>Your knee pins his chest, being able to feel every erratic rise and fall it makes as you hover above him. Eyes lock, and you swear for a minute you're watching a familiar blonde kneel before a seething brunette. You're dragged out of the image as soon as it flashes before you with a reassured shake of your head. </p><p>"Allow me to set the scene, Corporal," your knee slips lower, leaving you the room to lean against him and press your lips as close as physically possible against the shell of his ear. "The world could crumble and I still wouldn't care. When you've seen what I've seen, lived through what I have and <i>waited<i> as long as I have - your heart tends to grow just that tiny bit colder." </i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>He doesn't squirm. He knows he could escape your hold at any point he wishes and so do you, that's why his stillness is that much more of a shock. </p><p>"Now that I've found you again, I know I can protect you. I can keep you safe, I won't let you go this time." </p><p>There's this stilted instance of heavy silence. One where the only thing which can be heard are the heavy breaths taken in and out which mingle together. </p><p>"Who are you?"</p><p>You pause halfway through removing yourself from Levi, face hidden with only your back and the wings of freedom to be seen. </p><p>"Just an old friend."</p><p>Levi knows you meant more than just what you uttered, but in all honesty he couldn't find it in himself to challenge it. Irritatingly enough, you intrigued him. There was a history there, and he wanted to know how and why. You were that woman back then, leaning against the Underground staircase with an ethereal grace about her, which at the time, left Levi enraptured. You just had to be, there was no other way about it. So, how now do you appear so young? As if time has never touched you? </p><p>You had been here a day at most, and already the mystery which  you were had him flailing. </p><p>And Levi didn't like that. </p><p>"My apologies for my poor behaviour Corporal. I'll be sure to see to the gelding right away and begin as promptly as possible." </p><p>He catches the way you roughly swipe at your face, sleeve coming away red as your arm dropped back to your side with a sniffle. His fingers itch at his side to do something, but by the time he's raising his arm to reach for you...you're long gone. He's all alone once more. </p><p>The paddock out back is a particularly large one, and although there is only one horse within it, he paces like he wishes for all the space in the world. You ease yourself simply along the fence, slow and steady as you scanned the gelding which from where you stood appeared to be a gorgeous red chestnut. </p><p>"Please cooperate," huffing softly to yourself, you strip away your uniform jacket and fold the sleeves of your shirt to the bends at your elbows, the fabric tossed away to the furthest post you could reach. </p><p>"Go slow! Avoid direct line of sight and move in from the side." </p><p>To your right, she sits atop of the fence post, legs crossed and a beaming grin of amazement etched across her face. Her eyes glimmer in the light and if it weren't for the sun high up in the sky, you would have actually believed her to be really there. Nevertheless, you roll your eyes at her obvious yet very misleading piece of advice. </p><p>"And what if he lashes out?!" </p><p>"He won't!" She reassures. "Once you're in close enough, slowly extend your arm out. Let him get a feel for your scent and that'll begin the process of him acclimatising to you...<i>I think<i>." </i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>Despite all odds, you do as advised. Unhurried steps made calculatively in the direction of the gelding, unmindful to the audience which had created itself in your time of panic. Hange is fully invested in this show, noting closely the approach you take in soothing the horse which remained in a similair state to your own. Fearful, panicked, stressed - all three? </p><p>"Okay, okay. We're gonna go slow and steady now boy, okay?" By this point, you can feel the animal's hot puff of breath on your skin, goosebumbs evoked to cover the surface as you willed away the nervous jitters which threatened to burst forth.</p><p>"He'll know when you're nervous, just relax!" </p><p>"I know that," you mumble in annoyance, arm bit by bit being raised as you stood to the side of the frozen horse. He snorts and although the natural response is to jolt back and also tense up, you squash that urge, instead focused on the way the horse's muzzle brushes softly against exposed, clammy skin and doesn't immediately kick out despite its pinned ears. </p><p>To you, no matter how small, that was a win! </p><p>"Good! Good! That's a great start!" </p><p>You may be giggling at what's perceived to be thin air and causing more than one person to worry, but Levi beyond the crowd is more focused on the fact that he's seen this exact same scene before.</p><p>And he doesn't like it.</p><p>Not. One. Bit.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'll let you all know now, I've never rode a horse so if any of this is inaccurate or incorrect...please blame the Internet! </p><p>Anywho! Thank you for reading. </p><p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Three.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When dawn crests along the horizon, words already spread of the fiery new cadet whom the Lance Corporal himself seems to be struggling to control. With the spirit of an untamed stallion, there's talk high in the air and bets being made under the table of who exactly the Scouts think will be successful in breaking you in.</p><p>There's no attempt made to cover up nor treat the wound to your cheek as you stroll so early into the mess hall. If anything, you aim to draw as much attention to it as possible, grinning idiotically and flashing happy winks at those who were foolish enough to gape for too long. The bowl of tasteless oatmeal remains untouched in front of you, chin rested lazily in the palm of your hand as you watched every new soul who sauntered through those heavy, double doors. </p><p>"Pretty lonely, aren't you?" </p><p>For once, his ash blonde locks appear to be slightly styled. Not as dishevelled as you usually recall them to be. His eyes are warm, inviting, trustworthy - but that doesn't take away from the fact that beyond those layers, all which truly resides there is emptiness. A void. Nothing.</p><p>It doesn't unnerve you quite like how it used to. </p><p>"He didn't take to me all too well like I'd hoped." </p><p>His chuckle draws embarrassed heat to your cheeks, face half hidden bashfully within your hands. </p><p>"What else did you expect? This is <i>our<i> Levi we are talking about after all." </i></i></p><p>
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</p><p>"I don't know," you shrug, dispirited. "I knew going into this not too expect much, but I thought this time things would be right, you know? There's something different about this one." </p><p>He purses his lips, mirroring your earlier position in resting his chin upon his palm. </p><p>"Be honest with yourself...are you not just panicked because you feel you're running out of time?" </p><p>The abrupt way you jolt draws venomous glares from those seated the closest around you but that is all. The man seated across from you doesn't even flinch because he'd already long since anticipated your reaction. </p><p>"You can't keep this up. You're barely clinging on enough as it is." </p><p>"I'm doing just fine!" </p><p>The fact that he remains so calm whilst fear blisters beneath your skin is enough to add onto your growing irritation and anger. </p><p>"Are you? The more you twist this, the more it's going to estrange you."</p><p>"And what if it does the oppsite?" </p><p>He arches a single brow, almost like your question had proven his own point.</p><p>"Exactly. What if?" </p><p>"Excuse me? Do you plan to eat that?" </p><p>You snap your head around, coming face to face with a young, bright eyed brunette who eyes your untouched breakfast like it's the last piece of treasure in existence. You motion to it with an empty gesture, only just watching the way delight fills her face before the bowl is scooped up and snatched away with a muffled thanks. Wordlessy dismissing yourself after that, you don't need to look back to know that the seat across from you is long since vacant.</p><p>Walking the barracks' corridors, it's strange to say that it all feels so familiar and yet at the same time foreign. You live momentarily through another's memories, and although reluctant, you must cast yourself away. </p><p>Ultimately, you're at a loss as for what to do. Neither the Commander, Lance Corporal, nor the other two Squadron Captains from your first night had informed you as to what exactly you would be doing whilst stationed out here. Initially, your head jumps to the stables and the gelding you had been tasked with, but there was no way a faction this strict was expecting something so simple of you all day. </p><p>That's why the decision to scope out the stretching fileds out front is made, and what you find to some degree leaves you occupied for a short while. </p><p>The taller Squadron Captain, Mike, appears to be supervising what you remember Levi to have called 'drills' the previous day. Young Scouts, most presumably within their teen years, spar with concentrated looks upon their faces. Blows are exchanged ruthlessly, something which you don't even bat an eye at as you sidle up to the Scout's side.</p><p>"Levi reported that you were to be working in the stables until further notice. Does he know you're here now?" He barely bothers sparing the energy to properly adress you, tiredly glancing down out of the corner of his eye as you rocked in interest upon the balls of your feet. </p><p>"No?" </p><p>Mike almost sighs. Almost. Instead, he just rolls his eyes and scrunches his nose before pointing specifically towards a loud mouthed brunette with the most prettiest of eyes. </p><p>"I saw your records. Top of your class, right?" </p><p>"Yeah," you scratch at your neck nervously. "You could say something like that." </p><p>He narrows his eyes in suspiciously, but doesn't pursue your questionable response any further. </p><p>"Take him on, and I'll make sure Levi doesn't catch word of your truancy." </p><p>You perk up immediately, bounding off without another word as you crashed onto the scene of the brunette as well as his blonde friend and the young female who sported a stunning, scarelt scarf around her neck. Smiling harmlessly, you introduce yourself. </p><p>"I'm a new Scout recently stationed here after a transfer. Pleasure to meet you!" </p><p>The brunette, scrambling up off of the floor fixes his hair in a rush to return the gesture.</p><p>"Likewise. I'm Eren, and this is Mikasa and Armin!" </p><p>Your eyes shift from one to the other, lingering most predominantly on the female who regards you coldy. The icy welcome doesn't bother you . </p><p>"Ah! Eren as in...titan shifter Eren?"</p><p>Mikasa's stood in front of him protectively in a heartbeat and all of a sudden, just like that, you're unexplained interest is given a reason. So...another Ackerman, huh? </p><p>"Who are you?" She's sceptical right off the bat, and to be completely honest...you can't blame her.</p><p>"I just told you who I am? Captain Zacharias sent me here to spar with Eren, if that's okay?"</p><p>"Spar with me." </p><p>You've got admit it, you like the headstrong approach this girl has. It's such a change to what you usually stumble across. This Ackerman has got heart, much like the rest of those belonging to her bloodline. Oh, but if only she knew. </p><p>Carelessly, you raise a single hand to motion her to give her all and you're greatly impressed when she does upon first try. Gripping your outstretched hand, her hold locks you in place as she pitches her weight sideways. Legs fling up and around your head to clasp your neck as she jumps, body rolling smoothly along the floor in her fall to break the landing meanwhile you've dropped and been pinned with what she assumes to be no means of escape. </p><p>It all happens so quick, and it isn't so much cockiness as it is confidence in her own skills that Mikasa doesn't feel the need to doubt her actions. In any sane predicament with the standard opponent, she would have been crowned the victor without question. </p><p>That's why the chill which rakes up her back is that much more startling, a gasp flying from her lips as belated realisation struck to leave her finding you unexpectedly free from the hold. </p><p>When had you-?</p><p>You tower above her, a mere shadow as the sun lies behind your form within the sky. Only barely being able to register the hand you offer in truce. She takes it with little reluctance, a sudden amount of respect flooding her veins as you humbly continued to smile her way. </p><p>"I- How-?"</p><p>Opening your mouth to speak, the words pending on the tip of your tongue are silenced when another voice booms across the field which certainly isn't yours but definitely instils a feeling of fear.</p><p>The first instinct which flags is the one to flee like a spooked animal, eyes resembling that of a deer caught in headlights as you robotically looked over your shoulder to spy Levi storming straight for you. Mike grimaces sympathetically from his corner but makes no move to intervene.</p><p>You're on your own. </p><p>That's basically what he's conveying with that twitching nose of his and downturned lips. </p><p>Levi catches the flinching of your fingers at your sides and immediately growls a warning.</p><p>"Run away and see where that gets you. I dare you." </p><p>"Is that a challenge?" Chin raised defiantly, your foot slips back as if you're ready to do the exact oppsite of what would have been expected. </p><p>"Fucking try it." </p><p>A hand skims your shoulder, that same ash blonde hair brushing your cheek as he ducked in close.</p><p>"I wouldn't if I were you. <i>We<i> know what he gets like when he's pissed."</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>His concern is brushed off, hand falling away into nothing as it instead left you clammed up. The perfect opportunity for Levi to reach you effortlessly in record time. His grip is iron against your wrist, yanking you towards the stables in a similair fashion as to what he had done the previous day. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You do not offer a fight in return.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>Quite the oppsite in fact. Levi, although he doesn't show it, is stunned by the cooperative attitude you display all of a sudden. The trip to the stables being that much more easier as he avoided that guilt making mark on your skin like the plague. He didn't need to look at it to know that he already regretted doing what he did. </p><p>Instantly, you stalk towards the mighty animal who bows his muzzle in greeting despite the permanent pinning of his ears. You do not let it offend you, focusing in contrast on the bolt lock which you slide loose and swing the door open to in order to lead the horse out into the same paddock. </p><p>"You've nothing to say?" </p><p>Looking beyond the stables exit, where the lush grass of the paddock awaits, you spy her expectant face. Eager, excited and impatient - you do not wish to keep her waiting. </p><p>Your head remains bowed, gaze burning holes into the floor.</p><p>"No sir."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Four.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There's a lovely bruise which has blossomed along the expanse of your upper right thigh - a testimony to the geldings true strength as well as a reminder for you to not rush head first into certain things. Under no circumstances did you want to find yourself on the receiving end of a horses buck ever again. It must be said however, that despite the minor hiccup in the road, four weeks down the line it's evident that progress is being made. </p><p>There's a young blonde who has taken an affinity to you and your tasked assignment (punishment) in question. By chance, Krista had stumbled upon the paddock with you in it, and had been able to do nothing more than openly marvel at the calculated way you conducted yourself around the particularly temperament animal. Repeatedly, she'd taken it upon herself to visit and simply watch, making a friend in the process as you were more than willing to entertain the bubbly girl and even her grumpy companion from time to time.</p><p>It hadn't been long before Krista had been able to connect the dots. The 104th Scouts in specific knowing you by a certain rumour and reputation which had them all itching to formally meet you. After all, how often did they catch word of their number one fellow graduating Scout being bested by what others had simply dubbed a 'troublemaker'?</p><p>As lively as ever, the barracks are filled with the echoes of barked orders which resonate and ring. Already, from an early hour this morning, you were hard at work before it even appeared the Scouts base had awoken from its slumber. Therefore, imagine Hange's surprise when she'd made rounds to your shared living quarters and found your bed long since made and vacated. </p><p>It had been an understandable cause for concern, but perhaps to the extent Hange had panicked had been a stretch overboard. So much so, that the look of confusion on your face when a group of Scouts had exclaimed to have found you was very much apparent after the entire ordeal had been explained to you later on. A search party. You had obviously underestimated the Squadron Captain's ability to overreact. </p><p>Levi swings a hit around the back of her head as she chuckles sheepishly.</p><p>"All this fuss and the damn troublemaker was here all this time?" </p><p>"My bad."</p><p>He rolls his eyes, pushing open the paddock gate to stalk his way towards your peacefully dozing frame, making a conscious effort to avoid the gelding who feels safe enough to graze upon the grass. You've tucked your knees up into your chest, a hand subconsciously pressed against the bruise in your skin almost as if a feeble attempt to protect it from hurting any further than what it already was. Levi barely nudges you with the tip of his boot, watching with indifference as you jolt awake with a startled gasp. </p><p>"It's dangerous to sleep out here cadet."</p><p>"Ah, my apologies, I must have dozed off," you rub half heartedly at your eye to clear the fuzziness. "I didn't sleep well last night, so it must have all caught up to me." </p><p>"Whatever," Levi dismisses roughly. "Erwin will be here soon to monitor the gelding's process. So stay awake." </p><p>"Yessir," you stifle a yawn, lazily waving back at Hange who bellows a fond greeting from a distance. </p><p>"And get that leg checked out when you've got the time. I'm sure Hange will be more than willing to see if she's got something to help speed up the healing." </p><p>Scrambling for a response, you're like a fish out of water. "Yessir. Thank you, I'll make sure to do just that." </p><p>He's already gone by that point, and finally you feel you can draw in a much needed heaveful of air. Automatically, you twist to glance upon the spunky female who grins back, amused by the show you put on for her whenever Levi is around.</p><p>"How much is it eating you up inside to continue acting how you are?" </p><p>"You don't even know the half of it," in defeat, you drop in a sprawl against the ground. "I thought it would push things along but I know I'm still suspended in the same position I've always been. This is the last shot I've got. I know it. You know it. Furlan knows it." </p><p>"It'll work out," she reassures, but even her voice carries an edge of worry. That does nothing to placate your nerves. "It has to!" </p><p>"I thought the same thing the last five times I tried. What makes you so sure?" </p><p>"Because...you've got me and Furlan with ya!" </p><p>You try your best to smile. You really do.</p><p>"I doubt Furlan's got the exact same amount of faith in me as you do Isabel, but thanks for the confidence check." </p><p>Oblivious, she giggles and for a moment you consider laughing along with her in hopes of numbing the pain. It serves as a reminder though really, as you look upon Isabel and notice, just like Furlan, that even though she may be laughing right now, beyond those complex layer of her eyes - she's void. </p><p>"Hey," she snatches a breath to calm herself. "You good?" </p><p>You nod. "Yeah, I'm-"</p><p>You catch it before Isabel does, but that's only because you know what to look out for in that instance. Even so, you do in all honesty nearly miss the flashing sign too. The shadow passes almost too easily past your eyes, slithering in retreat past the forest opening which engulfs the surrounding perimeter of the barracks. A shrill pitch explodes against your eardrums, strong enough to leave you dizzy under the pressure of it all.</p><p>"Things are moving quickly." </p><p>"Thanks for the reality check Isabel. I'm really glad I've got you here by my side," the way which you sarcastically roll your eyes has said girl pouting childishly, watching as you move to the edge of the paddock to jump over the fencing.</p><p>"Where are you going!?" </p><p>"I can't just leave that thing unattended? It'll take me out first chance it gets if I do." </p><p>"But Levi said the Commander would be visiting soon?" </p><p>You shrug. "So? Levi told me to stay awake. He never told me I can't leave the paddock so technically I'm not breaking any rules," sparing a second to peer over your shoulder at the openly distressed girl, you gift her a reassuring smile. "It'll all work out fine. Look after the horse whilst I'm gone. I shouldn't be long."</p><p>It's eerie how quickly stepping past the forest line draws goosebumps to your skin, the air growing colder and your breath becoming more visible before your eyes the more you venture inwards. The potent smell of sulfur burns against your nostrils - your nose scrunched in disgust because no matter how many times you were exposed to this scent, you were never able to adjust. </p><p>You've never quite been able to get used to the silence which is always the calm before the storm, if anything, the peace leaves you knotted up more than what facing the actual damn shadow does. Due to this, that is precisely why you're still unable to anticipate when it lunges forward. </p><p>With ease, you're snatched up by the ankle and dangled like a mere piece of meat upside down. Per usual, its claws slice and burn as they sink through leather and skin, naturally evoking a hiss of pain which is met with a garbled snarl in return. It's difficult to breathe sharing a proximity this close, the oxygen pulled from the air which has you gasping. Raised to it's eye level, you glare back at empty sockets and an empty smile which tears its way across the demon's empty face.</p><p>Always empty.</p><p>The reason why you simply called them 'shadows' was because that's the only shred of living sense you could apply to them. Possessing the ability to reach the heights of the walls which keep the living civillians safe, their legs resemble that of tree trunks, stretching into a slim waist and a wide chest before dropping down into razor arms and fingers with a featureless face. As black as the night, they've a knack for blending in pretty damn well and that's always been your biggest issue. </p><p>"Well," you wince against the way it grapples for a stronger grip, creating a greater impression against your skin which you knew would be a bitch to explain back at the barracks. "You're a beefy one. You sons of bitches working out just for me?" </p><p>It isn't a time to be fluttering your eyelashes and pouting your lips, especially not when you're being raised higher up into the air with an intention which you know will end with you probably somewhere half way across the forest floor. On muscle memory alone, you tense up when it jerks to throw you, but that all draws to halt when you pull yourself upwards and latch onto the claws encircling your ankle. </p><p>It stalls, meanwhile you're grimacing at the fresh cuts along your palm before twisting at your waist to pull your free leg up and round to shove it under the chin of the creature who keeps you hostage. The demon staggers, latch hesitating before your clipping its head back once more and encouraging your release which occurs in the blink of an eye.</p><p>They were strong, but not very intelligent.</p><p>You drop, and collapse immediately at the ache which spikes from your ankle up into your calf. </p><p>"What's this? You've never struggled this much before?" </p><p>You bat Furlan's intrusive question away, his legs swinging harmlessly as he watches from his seat up in the trees.</p><p>"Are you and Isabel just <i>aiming<i> to piss me off today?" The glare which you throw his way whilst narrowly rolling to the side to evade an incoming hit is lethal, and still, Furlan manages to smile beneath the weight of it. </i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Maybe it's because we know you're pulling your punches?" </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>His statement has you feeling stunned - not because of the aduacity he has shown, but because you know somewhere deep down...he speaks the truth. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"I hate it when you speak sense." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"I always speak sense," is what he snaps back.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Uh huh," you roll your eyes, scrambling to your feet and making sure to place more pressure on one foot than the other. "Sure." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Just," he folds his arms across his chest after tossing a silver dagger which falls into your hands all too easily with a sense of familiarity. "Get this over with. Isabel's getting nervous back in the paddock."</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Any other blade and what you were about to do now wouldn't have worked. Forged from the very same blood of the creature you were about to slay, it had taken Furlan's crafty brain and three mishaps of near death and quick escapes for him to piece things together and present you with the very weapon you hold right now. It's small and misleading, but it gets the job done.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Or atleast, that's what Furlan had somehow convinced you when he'd proposed the plans for the dagger to be made. After all, you could spend all day attacking the shadow demons and drawing blood, but only the dagger in your hold could actually kill them. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You nod to yourself. "Right, right. Isabel." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>It's insanely difficult to move how you would normally like to when you've got one leg out of commission, but you tell yourself the show must go on when you barely evade another swipe from the towering demon's claws. Scaling the nearest tree proves to be the best plan of action, at a height where you're slightly above the demon's shoulder who hunkers around like it's straining to pick up its own weight. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You're gagging for a lungful of fresh air at this point, more than eager to finish things up and return back to Isabel and your grazing gelding. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The creature reaches for you, elongated arm enough of a platform for you to hit the ground running on to reach the base of its neck where it connects to the shoulder. Unlike your first and second time with the dagger in hand, you do not waver. With so much experience tucked under your belt, you're confident in squaring your shoulders and planting your feet firmly against the phantom surface of this being. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The blade seems to slip through its body, but as you dip and slice, it's like something bursts when the scene flushes with heat once more and the oxygen returns to the atmosphere and rushes through your lungs. The shadow almost seems to deflate, dragging with it the darkness which it expelled until all which remained was a feeble looking puddle of murky water. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Hey." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"What?" You almost growl in Furlan's direction, the adrenaline high bleeding from you and predominantly bringing attention to the bleeding mess which your ankle existed in. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Levi's on his way back with the Commander. I'd suggest you start running."</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Right. Levi. Commander Smith.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You brave a quick inspection of your overall state.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>Shit<i>.</i></i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Five.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Breaking through the perimeter lining with a gasp, you practically throw yourself over the fence with enough force to startle Isabel out of her light doze whilst softly leaning against your equally dozing gelding. She scatters, ambling quickly to her feet and racing over although she knows it's physically impossible to touch. </p><p>You smile feebly. </p><p>"Told you I wouldn't be long." </p><p>"Oi!" </p><p>Both of you jolt, shoulders drawn up and backs sharpened despite the fact that you both knew that Levi in fact could not see one of the two of you. As slyly as possible, you angle yourself in a way to slide your bleeding ankle to the back of you, placed directly behind your other leg and praying that Levi nor the Commander would stay too long to notice. </p><p>"Corporal. Commander," you nod in greeting, sweating beneath the narrowed look Levi's got you locked beneath in an instant. </p><p>"Cadet. I was informed that you were tasked with overlooking this here gelding's progress?" </p><p>Gritting your teeth at the easy way Erwin outright describes your current predicament, you nod slowly as he turns to his attention onto the horse who trots to your side attentively when called through a simple, light whistle. He snorts a greeting, muzzle pushed against the side of your head to prompt a response. You chuckle whilst running your hand across the large span of his neck, nervous, although you do not show it at the hands of your superiors criticism. </p><p>"And? How is he?" </p><p>You playfully push at the horses head to cover up the stumble which nearly sends you spiralling, laughing awkwardly to redirect Levi's gaze which nearly drops. </p><p>"His temperament is under control now, basically as trained as every other Arabian breed you've got in those stables," you purse your lips in thought, hands held as casually as possible behind the back of your head. "Whether he's rider friendly or not I do not know. I've not been given the chance to test that out." </p><p>"We'll need to check that out as soon as possible then. Levi and his team are leading a task with the newest Scouts later this evening," Erwin's focused on the way the gelding pins his ears at anybody but yourself, a trait which certainly cannot be overlooked. "I'm sending you out alongside them." </p><p>"Yessir." </p><p>"Excellent, I look forward to seeing the result of the work you have put in." </p><p>You do your upmost best to present the Commander with a salute without a wince or grimace to your face, bowing your head in thanks which seemed to be enough for the blonde man who took that as his signal to leave. Levi lingers for a second longer, a bone shuddering once over from head to toe leaving you feeling greatly exposed before he turned away with a click of his tongue and left.</p><p>Finally in that moment, you feel your fighting spirit give way. In a hurry, do you collapse against the ground, a cry of pain pushed through clenched teeth as you cradled your searing ankle which throbbed and burned with a new found round of revenge. Barely biting down the curse which slips through, Isabel hovers worriedly around you, arms flailing like a child as she vocally expresses her obvious concern. </p><p>"It's bad! It's really bad! You need to be treated!" </p><p>You hiss a sharp tongued reply. "Getting treated means medics. And medics means questions. I'm not in a position to be answering such questions Isabel." </p><p>She nods, aloof. "Right, right - of course. I knew that!" She's on her knees now, hands trembling an inch away from your torn skin despite the both of you knowing that her making 'contact' would feel nothing more than like a gust of callous wind racing by. That bothers Isabel greatly - you can see it in the way she bites mercilessly down on her lower lip, emerald eyes wavering at the sight of such wreckage.  </p><p>"Say," you turn. "Do you think you can get him back to his stall? He can see you...right?" </p><p>Isabel pauses in thought, chin cupped in her hand before she to a somewhat questionable degree - nodded. </p><p>"All animals can sense beings beyond the living plane one way or another, so I don't see why not?"</p><p>You smile whilst slowly ambling back up onto your feet. "Perfect. It would mean a lot to me if you got him back as quietly as possible." </p><p>"Where are you going!?" Isabel has to project her voice as you trip through the fence opening, only just managing to catch yourself. </p><p>"To find some bandages? A bottle of alcohol? I don't know!" You shrug in defeat. "Something that's going to give me a headstart in tackling this," and by 'this' you gesture to your ankle with a significant roll of your eyes. </p><p>Isabel doesn't have the heart to laugh. Not when the way you limp away is so damn evident. </p><p>It's impossibly difficult to roam the barracks when it's so lively and not have a Scout send you more than one intrigued glance. You only had yourself to blame though really. What else had you expected when thrusting yourself so abruptly into the limelight? It was inevitable that people were to pick up on the scarlet trail which was left behind like a cruel reminder, murmurs of worry and confusion falling upon deaf ears when a hand is clamping around a skinny wrist and pulling you into a room that was new. </p><p>Hange has you frozen under a stern glare, motioning wordlessly for you to prop yourself up onto the nearest cot which you do without complaint. It's like an unspoken agreement when Hange pulls away the tattered remains of your boot and pant leg, revealing the mess left behind which would forever remain a mystery to the Squadron Captain as to how it exactly got there.</p><p>She doesn't ask you on it.</p><p>Her method of procedure is immaculate, hands frosted the very same way medics always seem to be. Her office is a cluttered one, but it brings comfort for reasons unknown. The smell of parchment and pungent ink clings to the air and although the room is stuffy, you feel you can breathe just fine. Meticulous fingers clear away staining red, ease antiseptic into the open wound and steadily loop thread into the eye of an incredibly slim needle. </p><p>"Thank you...Captain Hange," you speak to distract. You're both aware of that.</p><p>"Hange is just fine," she grins softly, something that has you furrowing your brows. </p><p>"Hange?" </p><p>She stops after her fourth stitch, craning her neck to look up at you.</p><p>"I know a cadet when I see one...and that's something which you are not," the heavy inhale she takes is audible in the suddenly tense room. "I don't know why you're here, but I know that you're an enigma in yourself."</p><p>"Oh?" Your head is cocked to the side in a fake display of confidence, desperately attempting to cover the nerves which leave you rattled as Hange resumes her work.</p><p>"I asked around for your files, but even the Commander himself hasn't seen them. So, I thought to ask Dok," the shadowed glint dominating her eyes leaves you in a trance. "Here's the thing though little lamb...even Dok couldn't find your files. As a last resort, I went digging through the archives." </p><p>Subconsciously, you pull away from the Squadron Captain, but that already paints you more guilty than what her words ever could. </p><p>"There's no record of what unit you originally belonged to. Which district you're from. No family relations, no medical stats. It seems like you only begun to exist when you joined the Military Police at the top of your class...a class which we don't even know."</p><p>The silence which suffocates had you feeling out of your depth - tossed into the deep end with the ability to swim stripped away from you. Hange is relentless with the attention she's got you fixed beneath. Trapped in a cage which threatens to squeeze and crush at any given point. </p><p>"So now what?" It's obvious that the elder Scout hadn't expected such a blatant question. "The Commander is made aware, I'm stripped of my ranks and released from post? That it?" </p><p>Hange leans back, exchanging needle and thread for gauze which you do not bat an eyelash at. She shrugs dismissively.</p><p>"What would that do? You're here for something...I know that much. The blanks to your existence are there for a reason, <i>you're<i> here for a reason. I won't get in your way," all of a sudden, the gauze is being wrapped just the tiniest bit too tight around your skin, it's enough to draw your focus in on the way her voice drops and evokes a shudder. "As long as you don't get in our way either that is. Am I making sense?" </i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You nod eagerly. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Perfect sense."</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>It's tied off in a perfect knot and you note the way Hange subtly admires her handiwork. The tense atmosphere is squashed under her beaming smile. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Great! Stay right there and I'll fetch you some new boots and pants to replace those ruined ones." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>She's long gone before you've even the chance to utter your thanks.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>"You're screwed if she finds out. You know that...don't you?" </p><p>"Your voice is something which I really don't want to be hearing right now. Especially when you're being so goddamn pessimistic Furlan. Why don't you take a page out of Isabel's book and, oh, I don't know...learn how to smile?" </p><p>He grumbles, perched atop of the window ledge. </p><p>"I know how to smile." </p><p>"Well then how about a harder task...perhaps you could try shutting the hell up!?" You don't mean to snarl as savagely as you do, Furlan's hands raised in peace drawing you back into a slump with a hushed apology. If he heard it or not you do not know, but he certainly doesn't seem all that too caught up in the theatrics of things. </p><p>"I'm just warning you...you're on thin ice. If anybody catches you out then you're done for," he's irritated at the lack of emotion you display in return to a revelation which should have certainly been a lot more daunting than what it actually was. </p><p>"It'll be just fine Furlan. Everything will work out. I promised you both didn't I? I'm chasing this one not only for my sake and his, but for yours and hers too," the sheets against the strip of unwrapped skin at your leg itches, scratching with a soft rustle. It bunches tightly against your palm, crushed beneath folded fingers. "I've got to let him know that he isn't alone in all of this. He's got to know that as long as I'm around...he's going to be safe."</p><p>"You're going to get your heart broken." </p><p>There's no skirting around the obvious this time. Furlan knew better than to berate you with fluffy and hopeful words. Him telling you what he believed to be the cold, harsh truth was his way of showing respect because he knew you were strong enough to take it. </p><p>What he couldn't take was the resigned way you shrugged into yourself, a coy, almost shy look heating your face which was surely a first time experience for him. </p><p>"What's one more added to the list? It's <i>him<i>. It's always been him and it's always going to be him. He's broke my heart over and over again, but there's a reason fate decided us to be so. I can't risk this one slipping through my fingertips again. I've got to let him know...and if it still doesn't work out? Well, then atleast he'll know that he's got you and Isabel looking out for him."</i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Furlan wants to say more. The words are searing on the tip of his tongue and they're about to fumble into existence when the door explodes open and as Hange totters inside, Furlan disappears. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"These should fit just fine now. I'll leave you to get fixed up and then you're free to head to the mess hall since lunch was announced about five minutes ago." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>There's no proper way for you to show Hange just how much you appreciate what she has done for you, a feeble 'thank you' feeling worthless in your throat although the Squadron Captain had appeared perfectly contented at that and left. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>True to her word, they fit perfectly despite your minor struggle in fixing the leather harness around your thighs. It had also been the one thing to hinder you the most in the morning, hence the frequently missed breakfasts. Lunch does in fact sound greatly appetising right now, but you've convinced yourself there are more important things to be tended to.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>One of them being you testing out just how far you could push your injured ankle before the evening 'venture'.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>Thankfully, the stables are empty, meaning there's no witnesses to your pitiful stumble which sends you sprawling across the tough ground. It pulls a pained croak from you, your gelding staring with interest down at your fallen form. </p><p>"Ever the sympathiser, ain't ya?" </p><p>He rears his head back at that, the hairs of his mane tousled as he shook. </p><p>"Yeah, yeah - so damn dramatic. At least she got you back just fine."</p><p>In the back of your mind, Hange's words echo on repeat, bouncing around cruelly with Furlan's voice projected atop of them. You were way in over your head. You didn't need anybody else to tell you what was already common knowledge. </p><p>Hange had arguably let you go, on the precipice of latching onto something huge but seemingly reluctant, or perhaps ignorant to the desire to pursue it. How many times could you simply let yourself count your blessings though? She was a fair Scout...not a pushover. </p><p>One slip-up. That's all it would take and Hange would be on your case in a heartbeat. And with Hange came the others. </p><p>The Commander would be easy to pull the wool over the eyes of, and maybe Levi would be an easy one to slip by. You knew that man a lot more than what anybody else would have liked to assume. </p><p>Zacharias, as much as you hated to admit it, was your greatest challenge. Already suspicious and greatly perceptive, if he allowed himself the time, he'd start finding things out that perhaps Hange herself hadn't even thought to consider. He was a threat.</p><p>But technically, you weren't alone in this. Sure, Furlan more often than not managed to get underneath your skin and Isabel was usually blissfully unaware to most things, but the two were impressively crafty in their own rights. It benefitted nicely to have those two on your side.</p><p>"Alright," the bolt lock slides open with only the slightest resistance. "Let's get you tacked up and looking pretty to prove just how good you are."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Six.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It hurts.</p><p>It hurts a great deal.</p><p>Levi cannot know that though, and neither can his Special Ops team. Funnily enough, for the quickest of seconds it's believed that the 104th Scouts whom you travel alongside are capable of being a lot more perceptive than their own superiors. The blonde - Armin, you had remembered his name to be - religiously flicks his breathtaking blue eyes down to your foot which as often as you can, is removed from the pressuring hold of the stirrups. Pressing weight onto a leg which already bared a nasty bruise in addition to torn flesh stitched together was a recipe for disaster, and it was like Armin was slowly attempting to piece things together.</p><p>The grimaces you're sure you're successfully concealing, the sharp inhales of breath which whistle through grit teeth and the tell tale trembling of a limb which is well past the extent of its usage. Why were you not admitted to the medic ward? You were way out of your depth out here.</p><p>Nevertheless, the stable way the gelding carries you across the grassy fields is enough cause for a celebration. Sure, you may travel to the back of the pack, leaning forward only in the slightest out of fear of being bucked off but he's well behaved and that alone in itself has your heart swelling. You'd say you've done it. That you've proved Levi that you're capable of anything he throws your way, but there's two things stopping you from admitting that. One of which being that the journey back was still yet to be made and the second is that no matter how much you could spout lies, you'd know in yourself that you hadn't achieved this success on your own. Isabel had just as much a right to be praised as you did. </p><p>Apparently, it's a simple ODM gear exercise this evening, with the sole aim to challenge the Scouts with operating themselves within the dark to hone their skills to the best of their abilities. You have been exempted from such training. Erwin had claimed he didn't need you to complete such a task when he'd heard from Hange first hand to what extent you were competent in handling the gear. You hadn't known whether she had lied to cover for you or if the stats were truly there on the files she had pilfered. </p><p>Either way, what you did know was that the debt you were in with the Squadron Captain was growing greater and greater. </p><p>It's under a command that you don't quite catch that has the younger Scouts pull up into the sky and through the trees. That forest surrounding the barracks perimeter lining really did spread wide if you knew which path to take. You watch in awe as the whirring of wires combine to create a smooth, low lull which almost gives the night an identity alongside the watchful face of the moon. </p><p>They're gone in a flash, and it seems their superiors (and your own, you must correct yourself) are confident in the younger Scouts ability. There's no immediate rush to supervise, if anything, it's the complete opposite.</p><p>Horses are dismounted, and although there is a faint struggle, you dismount too. Naturally, you pitch the majority of your weight to the uninjured ankle which also nearly buckles when arms are thrown brazenly around hunched shoulders and as a result you're knocked forward. </p><p>"Oluo! You can't just-"</p><p>The rushed voice of the female Scout sinks to the back of your mind, panic assaults your brain and the only instinct you're left with is to act out. Mechanically, you tear yourself away from this unknown man's touch, catching your near fall to instead swing your elbow out and crash it against his nose. If it wasn't his collapsing frame, it was definitely his cry of stunned pain which dragged you back down to Earth.</p><p>A heavy string of silence follows as you stare down at him with wild eyes, chest heaving uncontrollably like he'd done more than simply thrown a friendly arm around you. You're skittish, unaware of the unimpressed look Levi's throwing your way. The female totters into view, offering a handkerchief in a way which told you that this wasn't the first time she's had to do this. </p><p>'Oluo' takes it with a muffled thanks. </p><p>"What the hell was that!?"</p><p>"You startled me," there's not an inch of you that is sorry. If anything, you point that out like a cold, hard fact. </p><p>"I'm your superior, ya know? You can't be getting away acting like that!" </p><p>His words are in one ear and out the other, you're looking right at him and yet that's not the scene which is playing over and over in your mind. You see an arched back and eyes so pained and fearful that they're basically hollow. A distant shout of horror rings through your ears and all of a sudden you're looking at Oluo like he's snatched the stars from the skies for all the wrong reasons. You don't want to see that image again. Face down in the dirt with scarlet the only thing which brings colour to his quickly draining face. </p><p>"Oh shut up Oluo. You put your hands on her and you didn't even ask." </p><p>You're afraid to look at the small female Scout crouched down, your eyes practically avoid her and the other two to the back of you. Itching to get away, you reach for the reins of the gelding and guide him towards you, anything that will give you enough of a distraction to the images which push to the very forefront of your mind.</p><p>That wouldn't happen. There had to be a mistake. </p><p>But then you had to also remind yourself, you hadn't been wrong even to this date yet. And that's what truly had you feeling sick.</p><p>That was enough to knock you for spins. Hands clutching at your stomach, you're hunched over and heaving. Pushing off and away from the horse, a sensation burns up the back of your throat and all at once are you feeling like a mere piece of paper left to flutter at the mercy of the wind. </p><p>"Sorry, I-"</p><p>You're too lost within yourself to catch what Levi says, but you do know is that he, conciously or not, just saved you from explaining yourself in the way he carelessly cut you off. He curls a single, slim finger around the fabric of your jackets collar and tugs you away from the group, his attention not on you but instead on Eld. </p><p>"She's always been a troublemaker, pay her no heed. Disperse and track the forest, the others should have gotten pretty far by now."</p><p>It's a wordless agreement the way in which the four others scatter instantaneously so all who remained was yourself, Levi and the group of grazing horses. </p><p>As subtly as possible, you're leaning away from the touch of the Lance Corporal, neck pushed forward to evade the thoughtless skim of his skin on yours. If he notices it, he surely doesn't say it. </p><p>"You going to explain to me what the hell is going on?" </p><p>His words light a dangerous fire beneath your skin, and it would seem the way you snatch yourself out of his grasp even leaves Levi startled. He'd never quite taken you to be the jumpy type. </p><p>"Your team...they can't go on this expedition Levi."</p><p>He rears back, as if greatly offended. </p><p>"Hah?" </p><p>You're tumbling pathetically over your own words. </p><p>"They can't...you can't let them go..."</p><p>He arches a brow, "why is that?"</p><p>You're at a loss for what to say. He's peering at you so heatedly that your skin crawls, a heavy weight nestled within your throat which you struggle to swallow over. You can't tell him. It'd raise more questions than what it's worth. But a life is a life...could you really make that kind of comparison?</p><p>"Please," it's feeble and a barely hushed whisper, but it's enough to render Levi motionless. His eyes wax over until you're both standing opposite one another with an unaddressed tension pulling between you. Neither of you have any intention to acknowledge it. </p><p>You're foolish to believe he'll actually listen to you.</p><p>"It's funny that you think your pitiful begging will actually hold anything over me. It's their job to be on that expedition, just like how it'll be very much your own." </p><p>You couldn't say he's being ignorant, because for him to be ignorant the knowledge as to why you want him to withold them would have to also be presented before him. A sense of frustrated defeat claws its way up your spine and is felt through the way you muffle a scream of annoyance against the palm of your hand. Levi arches another incredulous brow, but you're indifferent to it.</p><p>"You'll be making the biggest mistake of your life if you send them on this expedition."</p><p>"What's one more added to the list?"</p><p>The blasé way he announces that shouldn't leave you as choked up as it does. He's not even bothered, a cold front walled up against what was no doubt a dam built of past, taunting memories. It leaves you angry for all the wrong reasons, his response being the main cause to the growl which flies from your lips that shocks yourself just as much as it takes him by surprise.</p><p>You're chest to chest now.</p><p>"I'm telling you Levi. This is a mistake you're not going to be able to come back from. You'll regret it."</p><p>"Just what exactly has you so concerned with my wellbeing?" </p><p>It's moments like these that has you truly questioning why you try so damn hard for a soul such as his own. Maybe it's because his soul is half of your own and yours his. That's how soul mates work after all. Oh, but what you would kill to wrap your hands around his neck and shake some sense into his big headed self. The feeling coils your fingers in against the palms of your hands, irritation written across your face as clear as day. </p><p>The Lance Corporal is highly amused at the show you're putting on for him. </p><p>"Is there something you're purposely not telling me? Or are you simply acting like you know me when in reality you don't know a damn thing?"</p><p>There's a reason fate ties souls together. Or that's what you'd like to believe in this current second, because the appeal of swatting Levi like a goddamn fly is just becoming stronger and stronger the more he thinks he's succeeding in pinning you with an intimidating stare. </p><p>"You couldn't even <i>begin<i> to comprehend just how much I know you. I didn't seek you out for the sake of it. I'm here for a reason." </i></i></p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"You think you're going to last out here Cadet?" He presses a tough finger against the winged emblem stitched into your uniform. "I'll be the one bringing that patch back here within these walls where it will join the pile of hundreds of others. You're nothing special." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You have to laugh at the irony of his words - you really do, because you know for a fact that even now, you've already long since outlived him. Each century passed, you've made yourself an outlaw to Death himself in order to hunt out that exact same essence of life that you knew yourself to be tethered to each time it popped back into existence. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The sound of returning Scouts deters neither of you, if anything, it sees you whistling your gelding over and gingerly hoisting yourself up to mount him. The look which you cast down at the Lance Corporal is scathing.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"I never said I was special. But what I'm telling you is that you'll feel the weight of four patches drag you down a lot more than just one," Levi doesn't like the haunted, dead expression which paints your face as you utter those words. "That's my promise to you." </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The insinuation hangs in the air like ice, and although cryptic, you had finally voiced what Levi had been so tirelessly trying to pry from you. He reaches for you, although it's obvious he had unaccounted for the grumpy way your gelding would snap to the side, a warning released through the way he snorts and angles his head upwards with pinned ears.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>The animal clearly hadn't appreciated the hostile approach Levi had thoughtlessly taken and although it wasn't outright done for your sake, you're thankful for the response regardless. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Is everything alright?" </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Petra, you recalled her name to be, wanders over with furrowed brows and an innocent approach. You'd be inclined to smile down at the sweet Scout if it wasn't for the way that when you looked into her eyes, you saw them ebb away into nothing but a lifeless shell, blood smeared cruelly down her face with her head tipped up against the rough bark of a large tree.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>You're feeling naseous all over again. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>Levi's aware of that much in the way he spies the strained way you struggle to swallow - the lump in your throat returning with a new found vengeance. </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>A bitter smile is smiled.</i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>"Everything is just fine," your head knocks to the side in a cocky display, one which <i>dares<i> Levi to say differently. "Right, Corporal?" </i></i></i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>His sheer avoidance is confirmation enough. </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>"Petra, round up the others. We're leaving." </i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>
  <i>
    <i>
      <i>
        <i>You may smirk like you know you've won, but that doesn't erase the way your stomach eats away at itself in nerves. Those images - so fresh and vivid - burn against the backs of your eyes and refuse to leave you be.</i>
      </i>
    </i>
  </i>
</p><p>The ride back to the barracks is a sullen one, and despite you telling yourself you should know better...you feel yourself looking forward to the instance Furlan or Isabel decided to make themselves known. Which they for sure would.</p><p>Anything to ease the weight which threatened to crush your very heart.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for any errors made~</p><p>Also, I nearly cried after almost losing this entire upload because me, being a dumbass, writes straight onto this platform and doesn't draft it up in notes or something like that. I didn't lose it though! So, aha, enjoy?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Seven.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The tension swallowing the barracks the following morning is palpable. It's almost as if the anger and irritation which feeds off of both yourself and Levi is impeccably visible - so much so that the mere presence of either of you cleaves a space like a hot knife to butter. Words uttered from the previous night plague you incessantly, a cruel wake up call which served to tell you that Levi was always going to be the same one way or another.</p><p>He'd been annoyingly stubborn before, therefore why would now be any more different? That doesn't mean it doesn't irritate you no less. It's obvious that your own desperation is running yourself rampant, and the Scouts just can't seem to understand why the troublemaker of the barracks eyes their superiors so longingly.</p><p>Your feet, intentionally or not, carry you to Mike out in the courtyard where a few more familiar faces gather. He barely acknowledges you, a simple jut of a chin before he's barking gruff orders for Lenz to "pull your elbows in and protect your midsection, you're flailing like a fish!" It draws a puff of laughter through parted lips, eyes alight shortly before they dim again under the blazing heat of the sun. No one had known where the heat had come from.</p><p>"What's going on with you?" Faintly, he's registered as twisting to directly gaze upon you who stares dead ahead. "I heard from Gunther that you attacked a member of Levi's Special Ops team?" </p><p>You scoff, "I didn't attack him. It was a natural response to being startled. He should have kept his damn hands to himself." </p><p>"He's still your superior you know?" He watches you throw your head back in frustration.</p><p>"You sound just like him! It was an accident, okay? I hadn't meant for it to happen!" You're saying that, but you're not too sure if you're referring to your physical response being accidental or seeing those wretched images being accidental. Either way, it's enough to steer Mike off of the topic it seems. </p><p>"Levi was seething, demanding that you be transferred elsewhere but Erwin said you're too valuable of an asset to lose." </p><p>The snort which escapes into the air leaves Mike smirking just as much as you are, hands braced on your hips as you forced yourself away from the sensation to bend over and wheeze with laughter. Instead, your shoulders shook with muffled chuckles.</p><p>"What I would give to have seen his face. What a waste of an opportunity-" </p><p>There's a squawk of surprise, one that snatches both your own and Mike's attention. Heads spin around in a heartbeat, and all of sudden you're left biting back a groan of annoyance at the sight which meets you. Levi, per usual, stalks his way across the courtyard only this time he's flanked with a restless Hange and Erwin who looks next to near unimpressed.</p><p>You don't know why, but you subconsciously find yourself glancing down at your injured leg that nobody but Hange should have known about. Her own eyes following yours is enough of a stamp against your awaited fate which only seems to darken even more when you notice the way her lower lip gets pulled between gnawing teeth. </p><p>Shit. What did they know? Had Hange let it slip - or had Levi noticed and subsequently informed Erwin? Was this just about you undertaking a task whilst critically injured or was this to do with something more? What didn't they know? Had someone else aside from Hange managed to get their hands on your very scarce, very forged, files? You couldn't recall doing anything outrightly wrong. Was this about Oluo?</p><p>No. It couldn't have been. Levi had dealt with that matter the instant it bared it's teeth and glared down it's nose at him.</p><p>There's a hurricane of questions flying around inside your head and it's like those present are all baring witness to it as the emotions wash over your face are for all to be seen. Mike, left out of the loop, is just as confused as you are but for all different reasons. </p><p>Frantic, roving eyes search for a head of ashen hair but this time it's pig tails and an equally worried expression that is all which exists. Her appearance doesn't ease as much as what his would, but it's enough to kickstart you to life. </p><p>The three have almost reached you when your weaker leg takes a step backwards, enough of a gesture to evoke narrowed gazes and arched brows that appear to question your bravery in running now. You're a sight for sore eyes - lacking in both the strict air and solid salute that every other single Scout on the scene wears in the presence of their precious Commander. You wouldn't trust Erwin as far as you could throw him, for when you looked at him sometimes you saw more complex puzzles than what Levi himself was comprised of.</p><p>"Commander," a coo is a barely concealed in a smooth greeting. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"</p><p>"I've a favour to ask of you. If you will," he extends an arm in motion of being followed and although it feels like swallowing down lead and pulling an anchor at your ankles, you shuffle to life and all but drag your feet to follow them. However, not before shooting Mike an empty glance that he mirrors.</p><p>Hange, wordlessly, hovers at your side, nervous it would seem as the four of you duck into Erwin's pristine office. He hadn't long since returned from being stationed out here after all. The Commander is watched under lidded hoods as he dropped himself into his seat, Hange faithfully keeping your company whilst your dread was added to in the sound of a door clicking to a close. </p><p>Levi presses his back to it, just to be sure. </p><p>"You may take a seat if you wish." </p><p>"I'm fine here. Thanks," your voice is rough, guarded, filled to the brim with skepticism because you weren't out in the clear just yet. Arms cross tightly around your midsection, a hopeless attempt in concealing the anxiety ridden way you heave for breath. If Erwin notices it, he doesn't say anything but he's certainly got you locked under close scrutiny. "You mentioned something about a favour?" </p><p>"Right. We think there's an informant in Stohess who I think could tell us more about Eren's situation, but for this to work none of the other Scouts of the newly graduated regiment can know." </p><p>"The Titan Shifter? You concern yourself with him," like a mere whisper, you place yourself into the seat adjacent to the Commander's own. "Why?"</p><p>A silence carries over your words, one that you later choose to fill with a comfortable cock of your head and a shoulder leaned against the back of your chair. </p><p>"Because he offers hope? Or is it because he's dangerous? He poses a threat?" Something bitter fills the room. "If it's the latter Commander Smith then I must tell you, you've got more than one dangerous soul scurrying amongst your ranks, hidden directly beneath the pad of your thumb." </p><p>Interestingly, he too leans back, an amused, impressed expression painted upon his face that had the other two settled on edge. </p><p>"You think I'm unaware?" </p><p>You spit heatedly, "I think you're ignorant," your mind casts you back to the introduction of two scouts who also belonged to the 104th Regiment. "You will use him, he will believe his actions are for the greater good of humanity because that's the kind of drivel you feed people here. What happens when friend becomes foe and comrades are pitted against each other out there in the 'real world'?"</p><p>"What do you know?" </p><p>Four words. Four simple words. That's all he speaks but it feels like a punch to the gut, strong enough to wind and momentarily paralyse. The fighting spirit in your eyes diminishes the second your body deflates in defeat.</p><p>"Enough," is all which is sighed through clenched teeth. "I know enough." </p><p>You had said too much. That was evident, and now you stared down at the bull who could easily tear you apart in his request to know just exactly what festered within your mind. Therefore, imagine your surpirse when Erwin simply moves to stand and circles his desk to lean against the front of it, a scant amount of distance away from yourself. </p><p>"Will you aid our cause?" </p><p>That...hadn't been what you had anticipated him to follow up with and yet, it triggered you looking from the corner of your eye over at Levi who glared at you just as intensley.</p><p>"I'll do what I can," a shrug dissolves into a nod but Erwin seems content enough. "Your favour? I assume it requires me optimising on my links to Nile to get myself and whoever else safely into Stohess?"</p><p>"That's right." </p><p>The laugh which is pulled from your throat has Hange jolting in surprise.</p><p>"I don't know if you're aware Commander, but me and Nile don't exactly see eye to eye. That's the whole reason I managed to get myself stationed out here in the first place."</p><p>"It's one favour, I'm sure he'll let you cash it in." </p><p>"You don't know what I did to get myself out here Commander, there's a reason Nile couldn't bring himself to even properly report me," you grimace, and although it's clear you lack hope in this plan of his working, you agree regardless.</p><p>"What did you do?" Levi barks like he deserves to know. </p><p>The way you lean forward with a twisted, cold look of resignation has Erwin's skin crawling. A hum dances low in your throat and then you throw yourself unceremoniously onto your feet. </p><p>"His wife...is a pretty, feeble thing."</p><p> Levi's moved from the door and simply watches as you unlock it and swing it open. A glance is spared towards the blonde over your shoulder one final time. </p><p>"Wouldn't you agree Commander?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Apologies for any errors made~</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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